History VideoGame / TestDrive

* NintendoHard: ''Test Drive 4'' can be ridiculously impossible, even with the fastest cars.

* GenreShift: Not as exaggerated as ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'', but every ''Test Drive'' game is different. The early ones (including the Off-Road spinoffs) are classic arcade racers, ''Overdrive'' puts storyline into mix, ''Unlimited'' goes WideOpenSandbox (and invoking ContinuityReboot at the same time), and ''Ferrari Racing Legends'' is a simulator.

* TimedMission: Timer is not displayed, and going to slow causes a loss at the next checkpoint. In fact, the clock is the only opponent you have in the first game. Actual races weren't possible before ''Test Drive 2: The Duel''.

* CliffHanger: Ends on a unresolved one only in the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version, and it's unknown what happened to Dennis Black.

* ImprobablyCoolCar: The Nissan Skyline GTR R33 (in 5) and R34, along with the Subaru Impreza 22B are these in 6 and the 2002 reboot.

* ShownTheirWork: Overdrive features pretty accurate car models. One example is, most cars are in LHD. This gets averted for the RHD cars, like the Skyline GTR R34.

* Main series (1987–2002)

* ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited'' sub-series (2006–present)

* Main series (1987–present)

* NoAntagonist: As to be expected from a largely plotless racing game, there are no bad guys who need to be brought to justice; just you, an owner of a junkyard/used-car dealership and a garage (Sweeny), an unseen owner of a diner (TJ), a top-ranked local who's running an illegal racing circuit (Troy Harder), a lively announcer, and over a hundred competitors.

* WithThisHerring: You start the Career Mode with a Top, [[TheAllegedCar an unremarkable hatchback]] that you inherited from your now-deceased grandmother.

* CriticalExistenceFailure: contact with vehicles, cars, or anything else instantly causes the car to crash - as does redlining the engine.
** Also, you actually have to stop at the gas stations at the end of each track, lest you run out of gas and lose a life. So there's no flying past the finish line like in all other racing games.

* TimedMission: Timer is not displayed, and going to slow causes a loss at the next checkpoint.
** In fact, the clock is the only opponent you have in the first game. Actual races weren't possible before ''Test Drive 2: The Duel''.

* ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited''
sub-series (2006–present)

** ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited'' sub-series (2006–present)
*** ''Test Drive Unlimited'' (2006)
*** ''Test Drive Unlimited 2'' (2011)
*** ''Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown'' (TBA)

* DummiedOut: There exists a movie named "Blindfold Race", which cannot be unlocked or viewed in-game. Exactly why it's not unlockable (or why it's even there) is unknown.

** ''Test Drive: Eve of Destruction'' / ''Test Drive: [[MarketBasedTitle Driven]] to Destruction'' in Europe (2004)

* GenreShift: Not as exaggerated as ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'', but every ''Test Drive'' game is different. The early ones (including the Off-Road spinoffs) are classic arcade racers, ''Overdrive'' puts storyline into mix, ''Unlimited'' goes WideOpenSandbox, and ''Ferrari Racing Legends'' is a simulator.

* LargeHam: The announcer. Jesus Christ, the announcer.

* WithThisHerring: You start the Career Mode with a Top, [[TheAllegedCar an unremarkable hatchback]] that the game says you inherited from your grandmother.

** ''TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed'' / ''[[MarketBasedTitle Test Drive]]'' in North America (2002)

!! Tropes in ''Test Drive'' (1987) and ''Test Drive 2: The Duel'' (1989):

!! Tropes in ''Test Drive Unlimited'' (2006/7) and ''Test Drive Unlimited 2'' (2011):
See ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited''.

!! ''Ferrari Racing Legends'' (2012 and 2013):

A new ''Test Drive'' is currently in development by Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive), who acquired the ''Test Drive'' franchise from Atari SA in 2016. [[https://twitter.com/testdrive/status/1279051015002525696 A teaser video clip]] was revealed on July 3, 2020, showing the formation of a crown-shaped logo with the letters "SC" in it. In other words, ''[[VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited Solar Crown]]''. A full announcement will be made at Nacon Connect on July 7, 2020.

A DrivingGame series, ''Test Drive'' has seen races across the globe, in almost anything with wheels. 2002's ''TD Overdrive: Brotherhood of Speed'' (or just ''Test Drive'' [[MarketBasedTitle in North America]]) has the protagonist Dennis Black competing against opponents in order to reveal the kingpin behind the street racing scenes. ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited'' set players loose on the island of [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} O'ahu]], ''Unlimited 2'' adds the Spanish island of Ibiza. ''Ferrari Racing Legends'' on the other hand is a track based racer with collections of classic layouts of famous racing tracks and only features, as the name suggests, Ferraris. It's a [[VideoGameLongRunners Long Runner]], as the series has been around since 1987, beginning under Creator/{{Accolade}} and continuing under Infogrames and Creator/{{Atari}} SA. It also has the ''Off-Road'' series which consist of four games (that span from 1997-2001).

A third ''Test Drive Unlimited'' is currently in development by Bigben Interactive, who acquired the ''Test Drive'' franchise from Atari SA in 2016.

** {{Invoked}} DarthWiki/MostAnnoyingSound. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVHconFnPfA As one of the earliest Anti-Piracy methods]] [[SensoryAbuse involving ear rape]], if you play a pirated copy of ''Test Drive 2'', [[EarAche kiss your eardrums goodbye!]] Or you could survive the ear rape, but you'll end up having tinnitus, though. [[TrollingCreator Oh, Accolade!]] Have you been watching too much loud WebAnimation/{{YouTube Poop}}s?

* CopyProtection: The game used a wheel with car keys on it for answering a question.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVHconFnPfA As one of the earliest Anti-Piracy methods]] [[SensoryAbuse involving ear rape]], if you play a pirated copy of ''Test Drive 2'', [[EarAche kiss your eardrums goodbye!]] [[MostAnnoyingSound Or you could survive the ear rape, but you'll end up having tinnitus, though.]] [[TrollingCreator Oh, Accolade!]] Have you been watching too much loud WebAnimation/{{YouTube Poop}}s?

A DrivingGame series, ''Test Drive'' has seen races across the globe, in almost anything with wheels. ''Test Drive Overdrive: Brotherhood of Speed'' has the protagonist Dennis Black competing against opponents in order to reveal the kingpin behind the street racing scenes. ''VideoGame/TestDriveUnlimited'' set players loose on the island of [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} O'ahu]], ''Unlimited 2'' adds the Spanish island of Ibiza. ''Ferrari Racing Legends'' on the other hand is a track based racer with collections of classic layouts of famous racing tracks and only features, as the name suggests, Ferraris. It's a [[VideoGameLongRunners Long Runner]], as the series has been around since 1987, beginning under Creator/{{Accolade}} and continuing under Infogrames and Creator/{{Atari}}. It also has the Off Road series which consist of four games (that span from 1997-2001).

A third ''Test Drive Unlimited'' is currently in development by Bigben Interactive, who acquired the rights to develop it from Atari SA in 2016.

!! Tropes in ''Test Drive Overdrive: Brotherhood of Speed'' (2002)

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Donald's injury is explained by Nells saying that his Viper crashed into and wrapped itself around a tree during the race against Vasily. Yet if you try to replicate that accident with any car, Viper included, in-game it will harmlessly bounce off the tree without so much as a dent.

* LargeHam: The announcer. Jesus Christ, the announcer

* VehicularCombat: As mentioned on GenreShift, this game puts an emphasis on this.

* ExecutiveMeddling: It's said that Ferrari itself vetoed realistic damage and customization options beside the color of the cars.

* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Development started as early as 2007.